Mourning Beate

With great sadness we report to friends and audience members that Eiko & Koma's beloved friend Beate Sirota Gordon passed away peacefully during her sleep at home on December 30th 2012. She was with her daughter Nicole and son Geoffrey. For many people who were affected by her work, Beate left a hole that nobody can fill.

Ms. Beate Sirota Gordon was a long time performing arts curator/presenter at the Japan Society and at the Asia Society. It was at the former where she gave the 1976 New York debut of Eiko & Koma. It was at the latter that she made Eiko & Koma deeply realize their Asian heritage. Since Beate first introduced Eiko & Koma's work to New York audiences, she has continued to support Eiko & Koma artistically and as a devoted friend.

In Japan, Beate is best known for working on the Constitution of Japan, specifically writing Articles 14 and 24 on Women's Rights. She is also the only person from the team of two dozen to speak and write publicly about the Constitution's creation process, history, and enduring value.

To celebrate both of her important contributions, Beate's family decided the following:

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to her alma mater Mills College in her memory for the preservation and dissemination of her papers (which will be housed at Mills pursuant to her wishes) and for Asian performing arts there; or if in Japan, in her memory to support the preservation of the peace clause, Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, to the "Article Nine Association" ("9-Jo-no-Kai"). (See below for addresses.)